Annabeth's Side
by harryHEARTginny
Summary: This is the part of The Battle of the Labyrinth where Percy goes missing after getting shot out of Mount Saint Helen, from Annabeths POV. I tried to make it so it went perfectly with what is given in the story.


"Annabeth!"

I turned around in the direction of where Percy was calling out my name. Spotting him running around the corner like a maniac I ducked behind a giant bronze cauldron and waited for him to get a bit closer. Just as he was about to pass and call out my name again, I jumped out from my hiding place and clamped my hand over his mouth.

"Shh!" I whispered as I brought him down behind the cauldron with me. "You want to get us killed?"

Percy looked blankly in my direction before he reached up and fumbled to take off the invisibility cap I had forgotten was still on my head. For a moment I tried not to blush when his hand brushed my cheek while taking the cap off, but then I remembered that he had been yelling in enemy territory.

"Percy what is your problem?"

"We're going to have company!" Percy quickly explained the Telkhines and the baby monster orientation class he had sat in.

"So that's what they are," she couldn't believe she hadn't figured it out earlier. "Telkhines. I should've known. And they're making… Well look."

Peering around the cauldron I pointed to the centre of the platform where the four Telkhines I had been spying on stood.

They were making some sort of weapon.

From beside me Percy whispered, "What is that?"

I shook my head, "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder-" But I stopped myself for two reasons. One was that what I suspected involved Luke, and whenever I mentioned his name Percy got really tense, and two, what I suspected was so awful I didn't want to vocalize it.

"They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon. And they… they said they made my father's trident." There was some kind of emotion in Percy's voice when he said that last bit, but I couldn't place exactly what it was.

"The Telkhine betrayed the gods," I explained. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus ."

"With Kronos." Percy stated and I nodded in agreement.

But we had to get out of there, soon the army of little monsters following Percy would show up. "We have to get out-"

Of course the moment I spoke a door burst open and dozens of young monsters came streaming out.

With out missing a beat Percy turned to me and said, "Put on your cap. Get out!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, "What? NO! I'm not leaving you!"

With the way things were looking there was a slim chance we would get out of here a live working together, never mind Percy on his own.

"I've got a plan I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider- maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."

"But you'll get killed!" I exclaimed in desperation.

"I'll be fine." He reassured. "Besides we've got no choice."

I glared at him because I knew he was right, one of us had to let Hephaestus know what was going on, but I hated the idea of what could happen to him. Then I did something that surprised me (and by the look on his face) Percy even more. I kissed him.

"Be careful, Seaweed Brain." My voice a little thicker than usual. I put my cap on and shimmered out of existence. Taking the metal spider out of my pocket I set it on the ground and it began to scuttle to the tunnel leading out of the forges. Before I followed I took one last look at Percy who was just getting over the shock of me having kissed him. I had that image of him burned in my mind. His black hair sticking out at all angles form not being combed for so long, his face and clothes covered in dirt and grime, and the remnants of his goofy smile still on his face.

Then I turned my back, praying to the gods that he actually did have a plan. I even said a little prayer in my head to Poseidon that he would keep Percy safe. But I had no way of telling if any of the gods were even listening to me.

I had been following the spider for about three minutes when I heard a distant explosion from the direction I had just come from and the walls of the Labyrinth shook faintly, showering me in dust. It took all my power of reason and logic not to turn back and run to the forges and see what happened. Instead I whispered my second prayer to the gods in under five minutes, praying that Percy was alright and that he had survived.

It wasn't till sometime later after following the spider through a series of passafes and hallways did I end up at Hephaestus' forges. The god seemed mildly surprised to see me as I burst in after hauling the huge vault-like door open.

"You're alone." He stated simply.

I told him the story of how Percy and I split up from Tyson and Groover, how we had found the Telkhines in the old forges and how Percy had stayed behind so that he could distract the monsters while I escaped.

The whole time I was telling the story I struggled to control the trembling in my voice and the shaking of my hands. Hephaestus didn't seem to notice however.

"Brave kid," he said. "Explains the earthquake."

"Earthquake?"

Hephaestus pulled out a mini bronze TV set and turned it on and an image of a smoking volcano came to view while an unseen voice was saying, "The cause of the earthquake is unknown, but it seemed to awaken the long asleep Mount Saint Helen, details to follow after this break."

I couldn't believe it. "That can't be- I mean… that wasn't?"

"Caused by your friend?" Hephaestus asked. "I would be surprised if it wasn't."

This could not be happening. I knew when I heard the explosion that it had been coming from the forges, but I never would have imagines that Percy would have caused a volcano to erupt. That couldn't have been Percy's plan it was simply to dangerous. Then a horrible realization dawned on me, Percy never had had a plan to begin with, he had just said that to get me out of there.

At that revelation a wave emotion hit me so hard that it took all of my will power to stay on my feet. Around me everything was spinning and I was distantly aware of Hephaestus' face curiously staring at me, like he thought I was malfunctioning, which I guess I was, but not in the sense that he probably thought.

"You still working, girl?"

I forced myself to focus, but I couldn't answer the god, a large lump had formed in my throat, so I just nodded. Hephaestus shrugged and turned to a large table and began tinkering with some scrap metal, bolts, and screws that were played out there.

I'm not sure how long I stood there in shock, but it was long enough for Hephaestus to assemble something that looked like an oddly shaped toaster.

"Do you think he survived?"

Hephaestus turned like he was shocked I was still standing there. "I dunno girl, it's hard to say whether he got out on time or not."

I don't know what I thought he was going to say, but I guess I just hoped he would wave a hand dismissively and say of course he survived, and I was silly to think otherwise.

Taking a deep shaky breath, I asked. "What do I do now?"

"I think you know."

"I have to go back to camp." Really this made sense, None of my quest companions were with me anymore, and I needed to tell Chiron what had happened. "But I don't know how to find my way back."

Hephaestus picked up the little medal spider and wound it up again, and before sitting it on the floor he said, "This will take you back to Camp Half Blood."

Once again I found myself following the mechanical spider through the deceiving halls of the Labyrinth. For a while I kept an eye out for any sign of Tyson, Groover, or Percy, but eventually the tears I had been holding back since I first heard the explosion began to break free and my vision became blurred, and I had to try and focus on the little spider hurrying down the passages before I lost it.

When the spider came to what must have been the exit that led to Camp Half Blood, it stopped and waited for me to catch up before it turned around and scurried back into the Labyrinth. I watched it go out of sight before I examined the walls to find the triangular symbol. When I touched the mark the ceiling opened above me and a metal ladder appeared. With shaking hands I climbed up, tears still streaming down my cheeks. When I came out into the opening around Zeus' fist I found myself surrounded by a swarm of armed teens. I had forgotten that Chiron had ordered the entrance to be guarded at all times.

I was vaguely aware of mutterings and shouts coming from all around me, but the grief of having returned to Camp without any of my companions had caused me to collapse and dissolve into full body-racking sobs.

"Annabeth," a voice said from beside me. "Annabeth, what happened? Where are the others?"

I looked up to see Lee Fletched crouched down beside me, his bow laying on the ground next to him.

"They're gone, they're all gone."

Everything went silent real fast, it seemed like even the wind was holding its breath. The only noise was coming from me as I continued to sob shamelessly. The next person to break the silence was Lee when he called out for someone to get Chiron.

"It's alright Lee, I'm already here." I didn't look up but I could hear Chiron galloping closer. "Annabeth," the centaur said from above me. "Are you alright?"

I couldn't answer him, I just continued to cry.

"Lee, can you help Annabeth up and follow me to the Big House, the rest of get back to your posts."

No one argues and soon Lee had me on my feet and following Chiron blindly through the woods toward the Big House.


End file.
